asp.net Repeater - get Reference to current Item

In ASP.NET Web Forms, the Repeater control does not provide direct access to the current item being rendered in the markup. However, you can access the current item programmatically in the Repeater's ItemDataBound event, which fires for each item as it is being bound to the data.

Here's how you can access the current item in a Repeater using the ItemDataBound event:

1. Add the Repeater to Your Markup: Add the Repeater control to your ASP.NET Web Forms markup:

   aspCopy code
   <asp:Repeater ID="myRepeater" runat="server" OnItemDataBound="myRepeater_ItemDataBound">
       <ItemTemplate>
           <!-- Your markup for displaying data -->
           <asp:Label ID="myLabel" runat="server" Text='<%# Eval("PropertyName") %>'></asp:Label>
           <!-- Add other controls as needed -->
       </ItemTemplate>
   </asp:Repeater>
   

2. Bind Data to the Repeater: In your code-behind, bind data to the Repeater using your data source (e.g., a DataTable, List, etc.):

   csharpCopy code
   protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
   {
       if (!IsPostBack)
       {
           // Assuming you have a data source (e.g., DataTable) called "dataSource"
           myRepeater.DataSource = dataSource;
           myRepeater.DataBind();
       }
   }
   

3. Handle the ItemDataBound Event: In the code-behind, handle the ItemDataBound event to access the current item being bound:

   csharpCopy code
   protected void myRepeater_ItemDataBound(object sender, RepeaterItemEventArgs e)
   {
       if (e.Item.ItemType == ListItemType.Item || e.Item.ItemType == ListItemType.AlternatingItem)
       {
           // Access the current data item for the current item being bound
           DataRowView dataItem = e.Item.DataItem as DataRowView;
   
           // Example: Access a control in the current item (e.g., a Label)
           Label myLabel = e.Item.FindControl("myLabel") as Label;
   
           if (dataItem != null && myLabel != null)
           {
               // Access properties of the current data item and update the Label text (or other controls)
               myLabel.Text = dataItem["PropertyName"].ToString();
           }
       }
   }
   

In the ItemDataBound event handler, you can access the current data item using the e.Item.DataItem property, which returns the current data item as an object. You can cast it to the appropriate type (e.g., DataRowView if you are using a DataTable as the data source) to access its properties and update the controls in the Repeater item accordingly.

By using the ItemDataBound event, you can access and modify the current item's properties as it is being bound to the data during the rendering process.